Career Opportunities

TITLE OF POST: PhD Opportunity in Machine Learning for Driver Assistance
LOCATION: University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

Supervisors
Dr. Ciarán Eising
Dr. Pepijn Van De Ven

DESCRIPTION
The Data-driven Intelligent Computational Engineering (D2ICE) Group at the UL Dept of Electronic and Computer Engineering, in collaboration with Provizio and Lero, the SFI Research Centre for Software, are seeking a PhD candidate to work on an exciting project in the application of machine learning in radar and visual sensing for the prevention of road accidents. Given the wealth of information that is potentially available in radar-fusion sensing, there is a strong potential for machine learning algorithms to provide recognition, tracking, and prediction tasks for driver assistance and automated driving systems. For example, the position and trajectory of a pedestrian, vehicle or cyclist can be tracked and predicted, enabling a safer reaction of the host vehicle.

The project will be in collaboration with Provizio, who are headquartered in Limerick City. The Provizio team is made up of experts in robotics, artificial intelligence, computer vision and radar sensor development and are building an augmented, ‘guardian angel’ platform that could prevent road accidents. The candidate will work on AI solutions for automotive accident prevention using Provizio 5D radars with AI on-the-edge.

The successful candidate will work within the Data-driven Intelligent Computational Engineering Group in UL, under the supervision of Dr. Ciarán Eising (link, link) and Dr. Pepijn Van De Ven (link). This is a dynamic group of like-minded researchers investigating many applications of machine learning and computer vision, in areas such as automotive, robotics, medical, health and municipal, among others. The post is available on the 1st of January 2022 (or as soon as possible after that date). Funding will be provided, including stipend and fees, for a period of 4 years. The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s (BE/BSc) or a Master’s (ME/MSc) Degree in Electronic Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Computational Mathematics, or a related numerate discipline.

Full Details
Full Details are available here

TITLE OF POST: PhD Opportunity in Computer Science – SimuLimb Project
LOCATION: University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

Supervisors
Prof Tiziana Margaria (University of Limerick)
In cooperation with Dr. Kevin Moerman (NUIG)

DESCRIPTION
We offer an opportunity to join the exciting SimuLimb project in an interdisciplinary collaboration between Dr. Kevin Moerman (Biomedical Engineering, NUIG) and Prof. Tiziana Margaria (Computer Science, UL). The SimuLimb project aims to create, deploy, and clinically evaluate an open-source computational framework for automated prosthetic socket design.

Funded by the Science Foundation Ireland Lero Research Centre, this project is located at the nexus of digital and biomedical design, with a strong reliance on advanced model driven development technologies and data science support. You will work as part of the multidisciplinary SimuLimb team drawn from the specialties of Biomedical Engineering as well as Computer Science. The specific position offers research, design and development responsibilities covering the Computer Science and Software aspects within the SimuLimb project, under the supervision of Prof. Margaria in UL.

Your role will cover research, software system design and development as needed to build a new generation of design, development and analytics platform for the design and evaluation of prosthetic sockets. The new platform needs to be robust and easily evolvable, so that it can include, over time, all the services needed for modern and future customization, evolution, analysis and refinement. It is an open-source open access platform, as we address among other goals also the ease of access and adoption, and the democratization of complex application development, lowering the barriers to access, adoption and proficiency. The platform will provide interfaces to the devices and facilitate the design of applications for the design and evaluation of the prosthetic sockets in a low-code approach enhanced by rigorous analysis and verification methods.

The successful candidate will additionally be affiliated with Lero – the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software. Lero brings together expert software teams from universities and institutes of technology across Ireland in a co-ordinated centre of research excellence with a strong industry focus.

Full Details
Full Details are available here

The Munster technology university- Tralee has established a world-class research centre in the area of Intelligent Mechatronics and Radio-frequency identification (RFID), i.e. The Intelligent Mechatronics and RFID Centre [The IMaR Centre].

The principal theme of the IMaR Research Centre is the synergy between mechatronics, Sensors, RFID, Internet of Things (IoT) and Data Analytics for industrial applications driven by new technology, innovation and global demand. IMaR consists of two research strands Intelligent Mechatronics and Industrial IoT & Data Analytics both focused on the delivery of a wide range of automation, identification and manufacturing services. The overall mission of the IMaR Centre is to be industries partner of choice for the provision of innovative applied research. The IMaR Centre will serve a cross section of industries including Automotive, Telecommunications, Pharmaceutical, Production / Manufacturing, Retail, Aeronautical, Environmental, healthcare and Agri-business.

The centre is core funded by Enterprise Ireland and houses state-of-the-art research facilities. The overall mission of the IMaR Centre is to be industries partner of choice for the provision of innovative applied research. The IMaR Centre will serve a cross section of industries including Automotive, Telecommunications, Pharmaceutical, Production / Manufacturing, Aeronautical, Environmental, healthcare and Agri-business. IMaR is also a member of Lero:- The Irish software research centre and CONFIRM – Smart Manufacturing Research Centre.

Position: We are looking for a highly motivated, PhD student to join the research team at IMaR. The successful candidate will collaboratively work and contribute to a cutting-edge research project in vision systems and sensor fusion for AgriTech domain.

Minimum Qualification

• Degree in Computer Science/ Engineering or equivalent
• MSc desirable

Job Requirements/ Experience/ Skills
We are particularly seeking a person who possesses the following attributes/ skills:

• Good programming skills are mandatory
• Hands on experience in C/C++ or python
• Hand on experience in vision systems or sensor fusion.
• Knowledge in Machine learning
• Good organizational skills and Team player.
• Exposure to modern development technologies, frameworks & patterns.
• Experience and the discipline of working within a fast-paced test-driven environment.

Desirable Skills

• Industry experience in vision systems will be a bonus.
• Knowledge of Agriculture and especially Dairying.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing processes & instrumentation.
• Be imaginative and persistent and have the ability to communicate clearly.
• Be logical and technically minded and possesses strong problem-solving skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, teamwork and communication skills (both verbal and written).
• Ability to work on own initiative, in a fast-paced environment with attention to detail.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, an ability to understand complex problems and generate appropriate pragmatic technical solutions.
• Constantly promote awareness of best industry practices, providing company training as required.
• Energetic and eager to learn and implement new technologies when required.
• Focused on keeping your knowledge up to date.

Duration of Contract

• 2 + 1 years

Funding

• The funding is approved around 24,000 euro per annum( fees + stipend)
• All the resources required for the project.

Application Procedure

All applications must be made online at www.ittralee.ie

Informal Enquiries

Informal enquiries ONLY may be addressed to Anshul Awasthi, email: anshul.awasthi@staff.ittralee.ie

The Regulated Software Research Centre (RSRC) at Dundalk Institute of Technology has an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated and ambitious Postdoctoral Researcher. The recruited candidate will have the opportunity to pursue their own research interests (within the scope of the RSRC remit), develop their career as an independent researcher and pursue external funding to build a research team. The purpose of this role is to enhance the research and supervisory capacity within the RSRC and to support the research ambitions of an experienced postdoctoral researcher in their pursuit of research independence.

This is an excellent opportunity for a highly motivated researcher to work towards research independence. The successful candidate will be expected to show a high degree of innovation and enthusiasm to bring their own expertise and concepts into the RSRC. As a member of this exciting team, the recruited candidate will collaborate with RSRC members to extend the reach and remit of the centre.

Apply through the DkIT Website before 12:00 on 11th June:
https://www.irishjobs.ie/Jobs/Post-Doctorate-Researcher-for-the-8616277.aspx

Informal enquire should be sent to roisin.loughran@dkit.ie

TITLE OF POST: PhD Position: Ethics and Trustworthiness of Algorithmic Decision making Systems in the Public Sector
LOCATION: Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland

BACKGROUND
Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, brings together expert software teams from universities and institutes of technology across Ireland in a co-ordinated centre of research excellence with a strong industry focus. Lero’s research spans a wide range of application domains from driverless cars to artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, fintech, govtech, smart communities, agtech and healthtech. Lero’s overall vision is to establish Ireland as a location synonymous with high-quality software research and development, to the extent that ‘Irish software’can enter the lexicon in the same way as ‘German automotive’ or ‘Scandinavian design’. Since it was founded in 2005, Lero has become one of the best-known, and most highly regarded, software research centres in the world.

RESEARCH CONTEXT
Algorithmic Decision-making Systems (ADS) are increasingly pervasive and are revolutionising services across different industries and the public sector. The challenges and issues associated with ADS deployment in high stake contexts are increasingly discussed in scholarly outlets. These include the need to increase efficiency, reduce potential harm, as well as promote fairness, equity, accountability and transparency in decision making. Understanding how trust in ADS can be generated so as to increase more broad-based adoption is an issue of interest to scholars and practitioners alike. It is particularly important in relation to the public sector, as ADS may actually entrench, amplify and even obscure human bias and discrimination in decision processes -something that underpins public concerns and reduces trust.

PhD OBJECTIVE
The goal of this PhD thesis is to investigate the trust-related factors that influence acceptance and adoption of ADS within different public sector situational contexts. It will provide important insights into the dynamics of trust generation in ADS and will contribute theoretical and conceptual foundations that support development of ethical ADS in public sector contexts.

Full Details
Full Details are available here

TITLE OF POST: PhD Opportunity in Data Governance
LOCATION: Maynooth University, Ireland

Project:
Socio-Technical Governance Models for Data-Intensive Adaptive Systems

Description
We offer an exciting opportunity to join a project on Socio-Technical Governance Models for Data-Intensive Adaptive Systems as part of an interdisciplinary team in Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software and in collaboration with EMPOWER, the Science Foundation Ireland funded Programme on Data Governance. The aim of the project is to investigate the design and governance of Data-intensive adaptive systems. Funded by the Science Foundation Ireland Lero Research Centre, this project examines the emergence of Data ecosystems addressing how we manage and use data, and how we design and implement intelligent systems that leverage “shared” data within their operation. Solutions need to respect the rights and freedoms of data subjects (i.e. GDPR) while at the same time, turning personal data into an asset for the population and society. The challenges go beyond technical issues to issues of data ownership, privacy, ethics, and authorised reuse by third parties.

The PhD candidate will address one specific challenge investigating the relationship between data quality and trustworthiness of systems, forming both a theoretical explanation model as well as a practice-oriented assessment approach for measuring trustworthy systems. This will contribute to research related to data governance aiming to improve data governance practices. The research will include reviewing literature and practices focused on the broader context of information quality and trustworthy systems. It is expected that empirical data will be gathered (in collaboration with our enterprise partners) to develop a mapping between data quality and trustworthiness with the aim to develop a prototype implementation or experimental system that allows to investigate the relationship between data quality and trustworthy systems. The research contribution will help to identify core attributes of trustworthiness and the development of an assessment approach for measuring trustworthy systems.

The successful candidate will be hosted at the Innovation Value Institute at Maynooth University, offering a modern, world-class and interdisciplinary research Environment. Additionally, the candidate will be affiliated with Lero – the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software. Lero brings together expert software teams from universities and institutes of technology across Ireland in a co-ordinated centre of research excellence with a strong industry focus.

Full Details
Full Details are available here

TITLE OF POST: Senior Post-Doctoral Researcher - 2 Positions, Lero, the SFI Research Centre for Software and School of Applied Psychology
LOCATION: University College Cork, Ireland

Project:
Responsible Software Engineering (RSE)

Description
We invite applications from suitably qualified Senior Post-Doctoral Researchers to work on a multi-disciplinary project on Responsible Software Engineering (RSE).

People live with Algorithms, AI, Big Data, Ubiquitous and Pervasive Computing, and Decision-Support Systems. But we also live with news reports, direct experiences and concerns about scamming or phishing, about how our confidential/health records can be subject to cyber-attacks, and even about how our very on-line interactions may harm us (opening email attachments, neglecting a field in our on-line job application that automatically disqualifies us for the job). These sociotechnical systems play roles in how we live, search for information, organise, socialise, and work together. They have a strong presence in our lives, often without our knowledge, and they can impinge on how secure, trusting or comfortable we feel with the decisions we make and the (system-mediated) actions we take.

Although there is growing body of research on Software Ethics (e.g. ethical compliance, frameworks and disposition), the scope of our interest in this research project extends beyond the ethical. Arguably, people will only be able to take advantage of the social value of technologies like AI when trust and trustworthy practices align. With these opportunities and reservations in mind, this project focuses on Responsible Software Engineering, and the reflexive practices and values entailed in it, with a view to giving focussed attention to ‘representing and enriching lived experience, supported by software, and not bounded by it’.

Aligning ‘responsibility’ with ethical and societal concerns (concerns like unlawful discrimination and undermining democracy) foregrounds critical reflection on what it means to improve the state of the world through software engineering and practice, including how to (and ‘who’ to) judge whether one state of the world is better than another. Civic education can play an important role in answering these questions and in preparing future citizens to continue to answer them.

With these interests in mind, the RSE Project has been developed by Lero colleagues from a number of disciplinary backgrounds including: Software Engineering, Human-Computer Interaction, Interaction Design, Applied Psychology, Sociotechnical Systems, Information Systems, and Public Engagement. The project is organised around four challenges:

1. To develop understanding(s) of reflexively responsible Software Engineering.
2. To understand Responsible Software Engineering as an embedded socio-technical practice by assessing the current state of RSE practice in cutting-edge software development projects.
3. To derive, develop and evaluate tools and practices for experiential practice-based understanding of Responsible Software Engineering.
4. To specify the education needed for citizens to be able to act knowledgeably in modern IT society; an integral part of reflexive RSE, founded in trusting and trustworthy relationships.

We wish to appoint 2 Senior Post-Doctoral Researchers to work together full-time on this project for 30 months. Between them, the Senior Post-Doctoral Researchers will have the skills to deliver on the four challenges above. Core strengths in Software Engineering and Human Computer Interaction would be particularly valuable. However, we would welcome applications from researchers in cognate areas who make the case in their application for the relevance of their skills and experience to the project. Moreover, it would be helpful to us if candidates with, say, a strong Software background (Software Engineering, Information Systems, etc.) could demonstrate experience and/or interest in the complementary research area (e.g. HCI, Interaction Design, CSCW) and vice versa.

Applicants should have obtained their PhD in a relevant area and be able to demonstrate ability to work independently and in a multidisciplinary team

Full Details
Full Details are available here